Stronger
by coupling-all-the-time
Summary: This my first fanfic ever! This story takes place after Peyton told Brooke she had feelings for Lucas and Lucas&Peyton started dating. On a late Thursday night, Haley and Nathan have some company... Brooke centric. Reviews would be appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my first fanfic that I post on a website and I'm very excited!! I'm sorry for the possible grammar mistakes, I tried my best to correct them all, but if there is any left, I'm really sorry. I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a review at the end, even if it's a simple 'Good job.'

This takes place after Peyton told Brooke she had feelings for Lucas and they started dating. So here it goes.

* * *

**STRONGER **

Haley slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark outside. She wondered the time, but she guessed it was probably around three. She tried to get up, then she felt the arms on waist tighten. That made her smile. Nathan and her had something special. She once had been stupid enough to walk away from them, but there was no way in hell that she would make the same mistake ever again.

She laid her hand upon his arm. She tenderly moved her hand from side to side and then interwined fingers with him. She started to make small circles on his hand smoothly with her thumb. In response, Nathan pulled her closer to him, like he would never let her go. Then leaned into her hair. God, she loved him!

She stayed in that position for a while. She could stay like that forever, that was where she wanted to be for the rest of her life, in his arms. It was pure happiness she was feeling at that moment. But as much as she loved that feeling, she had to be up early in the morning for school, so she tried to go back to sleep. After a long fifteen minutes, she understood that going back to sleep was not an option. Her sleep was long gone. She decided to watch TV or maybe a DVD. With that thought on her mind, she carefully got rid of Nathan's grip and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before leaving the room.

When she entered the living room, she heard faint sobs. She stood alert, the sobs were coming from outside the door. She quickly opened the door and found a crying Brooke on her porch.

"Oh my God, Brooke!" she cried out while sitting beside her.

Brooke didn't hear the door opening, that was why she jumped when she heard Haley. Brooke didn't mean to wake her up, but she didn't have anywhere else to go. She had seen them today, _them_, and now she was so broken.

Haley started to stroke her hair, but that only made Brooke cry harder. Brooke didn't care if she was loud or it was late, she was hurting and the pain was unbearable. Haley caressed her back gently 'till Brooke calmed down a little.

"I -, I -, I s-saw th-them…" said Brooke. She was still crying desperately. Her eyes were burning because of crying 'till she couldn't anymore. There were no more tears to drop in her eyes.

Haley understood straight who she was talking about.

"How long have you been here?" she asked softly.

"I don't know, two hours I think." answered Brooke as a whisper. Her throat was aching.

"Why didn't you wake me up? You could've called me you know."

Brooke shrugged. " I didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh, Brooke…" Haley held Brooke tightly. " You would never disturb me." They stayed like that for a moment, just swaying back and forth. "Come on, let's get you inside."

x X x X x X x

"I saw them." Brooke repeated. They were on the couch, sitting across. Brooke was completely calm by then, she was able to tell Haley the whole story.

"I was at the mall, just wanted to buy a new pair of shoes. I was fooling around, then I saw them." Brooke started slowly. "They were holding hands, Peyton looked sickeningly happy, I mean I've never seen such a huge smile on her face before."

Haley watched her friend in worry. She looked so sad. Her eyes were blank, she was just staring at the floor. Haley felt so bad for Brooke. Lucas was Haley's best friend, they had grown up together for God's sake! But as much as she loved him, she also hated him for putting Brooke through this. Last year Brooke was the only one who stood by Haley and Haley appreciated that. While they lived together, they had got so much closer and now Brooke was one of the people Haley loved the most. And since Brooke's parents were never around, they were like family. She reached Brooke's hand and squeezed it encouragingly.

"And you know what is the worst part about this? Lucas seemed happy too! I didn't want to believe it! Just a week ago, he was telling me how he loved me and how I am the one for him. And he kept assuring me that Peyton didn't mean anything to him. I just can't believe all those things he said were just a bunch of lies! Still, I can't understand him! If he didn't love me, then why didn't he just go screw Peyton? Why did he have to make me fall for him again?!! But no, he had to hurt me, he had to bring me into this sick triangle! I wonder what was going through his wacky mind?!" Brooke's voice got louder as she talked, she was practically screaming at that moment. She had been keeping it all in and finally she started to take it out. There was no way she could stop now.

x X x X x X x

Nathan tossed and turned in his bed. He tried to reach Haley but he only found the emptiness. He struggled to wake up, there were voices coming from the living room and they were getting louder. He heard someone scream and quickly jumped out of the bed. His mind was working incredibly fast, processing all his thoughts; _"Haley's not in bed." , "Someone screamed." , "Someone's in there." … _He thought about all possible senarios and he didn't like any of them. He stormed out of the room. If he could've just calmed down a little, he would have recognised the voices and known that they belonged none other than Brooke and Haley.

When he got out of the room, he saw the lights were on. Just then it hit him that it might not be an emergency. He stopped and heard Brooke and Haley talk.

"I wonder if he ever loved me, Haley." Brooke said sadly. Her eyes were shining because of the tears.

'Lucas!' thought Nathan. He had started to date Peyton, Nathan just found that out yesterday. Just a few days ago, Lucas was telling him how he loved Brooke and how he hated himself for hurting her _twice_. And now, he was going around with Peyton, looking madly in love. Nathan had never thought it through Brooke's perspective before and he suddenly felt sorry for the girl. Sure she was the one to break things off, but she had her reasons. He didn't understand what the hell Luke was doing but it wasn't his place to question it.

"Of course he loved you, don't you ever think like that." Haley tried to sound convincing, but she wasn't sure if she herself believed that.

"Then why is he doing this to me? I've tried so hard to forgive him _the first time_, and he promised…." Brooke's voice went silent. "And Peyton! How could she do that to me again?! To her-supposed-best-friend?! She's just a skinny little bitch! I thought she loved Jake. Poor Jake. He'll be devastated when he finds out."

'Yeah, Peyton.' thought Nathan. He loved Peyton, she was a good friend, but not lately apperently. The past year all she talked about was how bad she messed things up and how she wanted Brooke's trust back, but then, when she and Brooke were getting on good terms again, she came out with this whole 'I-have-feelings-for-Lucas' thing! You wouldn't tell your best friend that you are in love with her boyfriend, right? There must be a rule against it! So what the hell was wrong with Peyton?! Nathan secretly looked at Brooke. She looked pale and thinner than ever. But more importantly she looked tired. Way too tired. From that moment, Nathan Scott hated his own brother and his ex-girlfriend.

"You are right Brooke. You are so damn right to be angry. What they did was unacceptable. And I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. I wish I could do something to ease the pain."

Brooke looked at her best friend grateful.

"Thank you. For being my best friend and listening to me. I'm sure it got staled and I love you for sticking with me. I just can't get over it…"

Just then Nathan couldn't take it any more and blurted from his hiding space.

"Fuck them Brooke! They can do whatever the fuck they want! You'll be much better without them!"

Two girls stared at him shocked. Brooke quickly tried to wipe away her tears while Haley stood there open-mouthed.

"How long have you been there?" Haley asked once she got out of the shock.

"I…. Uhh…." Nathan didn't know what to say. It was probably better if he stayed at his hiding place. He saw the anger in Haley's eyes rise and he knew he was in trouble.

"Excuse us." Haley said to Brooke sweetly. Then nodded Nathan to follow her. When they got to their bedroom Haley turned to him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She asked furiously. "Why were you listening to us?! Didn't you understand it was a private moment?!" She was trying to keep her volume down.

"I woke up and you weren't there and I heard someone scream… I paniced, okay?! I was afraid that something happened to you!" Nathan said in defense.

That seemed to soften Haley.

"Then I heard Brooke, felt so bad for her. She didn't deserve any of that." He added.

By then Haley had already started to melt. How could he be this sweet? She fell in love with him even more than she already was, if that was possible. He looked so sad. Haley couldn't stand it and pulled him to her. She clinged onto him. His arms went around her waist and her hands found their way to his neck.

"You are adorable, you know that?" she said sweetly, looking into his eyes.

Nathan smirked. "I knew you loved me Haley James."

"Scott. Haley James-Scott." she corrected, moving her face closer to his. Nathan felt the wave of passion go through his body and crashed his lips to hers.

x X x X x X x

Brooke sadly watched Haley as she pulled Nathan to their bedroom. She didn't mean to cause trouble. She wasn't angry with Nathan, at variance she loved him for defending her. She wasn't offensed, no, not at all, because he was right. Why would she keep hurting herself because of two excuse of people? If she ever needed a two-faced liar bastard or a back-stabbing bitch, she would call them right away. Yeah, that was it. She still could hear Haley yelling to Nathan. She didn't want them to argue. They were the cutest couple! But she didn't want to interrupt either, it could've blown on her. '_They would work it out._' she thought. '_They always do and always will. They are Naley after all._' She decided to play her radio game, she was going to turn over a new page, she needed motivation. She walked over to Haley's radio. She waited 'till the right moment came and turned on the radio.

_You were everything, everything that I wanted __  
__We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it __  
__And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away __  
__All this time you were pretending __  
__So much for my happy ending_

_It's nice to know you were there __  
__Thanks for acting like you cared __  
__And making me feel like I was the only one __  
__It's nice to know we had it all __  
__Thanks for watching as I fall __  
__And letting me know we were done_

'Ouch.' Brooke thought. 'Too much for a start over.' She decided to take another shot. Meanwhile, Nathan and Haley came back to room, but Brooke's back was facing them so she didn't see them. Haley stopped Nathan and watched her beautiful brunette friend. Brooke took a deep breath and a soft music filled the room.

_Would have given up my life for you  
Guess it's true what they say about love  
It's blind  
Girl, you lied straight to my face  
Looking in my eyes  
And I believed you 'cause I loved you more than life  
And all you had to do  
Was apologize  
_

Brooke didn't know the song, but it felt so emotional that she listened to the end.

_You didn't say you're sorry  
I don't understand  
You don't care that you hurt me  
And now I'm half the man  
That I used to be when it was you and me  
You didn't love me enough  
My heart may never mend  
And you'll never get to love me, again_

_No, no, no, no, no, no_

_Sadness has me at the end of the line  
Helpless watched you break this heart of mine  
And loneliness only wants you back here with me  
Common sense knows that you're not good enough for me  
And all you had to do  
Was apologize, and mean it_

_But you didn't say you're sorry  
I don't understand  
You don't care that you hurt me  
And now I'm half the man  
That I used to be when it was you and me  
You didn't love me enough  
My heart may never mend  
And you'll never get to love me_

_It's like hell I could go back in time  
Maybe then I could see how  
Forgiveness says that I should give you one more try  
But it's too late, it's over now_

_You didn't say you're sorry  
I don't understand  
You don't care that you hurt me  
And now I'm half the man  
That I used to be when it was you and me  
You didn't love me enough  
My heart may never mend  
And you'll never get to love me_

_Again  
_

_Again, yeah, yeah_

_Again, again, again, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Never get to love me_

'You will never get to love me, never again.' Brooke thought. 'Are you kidding me?!' Haley sensed her friend's mood changing, went over to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." said Brooke as she turned to Haley. She really was fine. "I'll never feel all alone. Cause I know I have you guys, but more importantly I know that I'm strong enough. I know I can make it out there on my own."

Haley hugged her with teary eyes. Brooke saw Nathan standing in the corner of the room and smiled at him.

"Hey HotShot! Why don't you come over here and give us both a huge hug?"

Nathan's face lit up and he was immediately beside them. Haley laughed at this. Once they chilled, Nathan spoke.

"I'm sorry Brooke, I didn't mean to poke my nose into your business…."

"Oh shut up Nathan, you know it's okay. Actually it was you that made me wake up."

"Really?" asked Nathan while looking at Haley meaningly.

"You had to tell him that, didn't you?" said Haley in mock anger. Then she turned to Brooke serious. "I'm really happy that you feel better Brooke. You deserve to be happy." She stood silent for a second, then abruptly asked. "Can I make an observation?"

"Sure." said Brooke confused.

"Have you realised that you guys are just like the Dawson-Joey-Pacey triangle? Peyton is Dawson, cause it's no secret that Luke and Peyton get along really well and understand each other on a level. And you are Pacey, cause you and Luke definitely have the opposite characters."

"Okay, I'm not sure if you're insulting me or making a compliment?" said Brooke looking confused as hell.

"Hey, Pacey and Joey were totally opposite but that was what made them this perfect, it was like every disparity they have connected them deeper to each other. I mean, look at Nathan and me. And you'll remember Dawson and Joey tried so hard to make it work, it even seemed to work a while, but we all know what happened in the end." Haley finished with a smile.

"I don't know what happened." said Nathan like a kid.

"Pacey got Joey." Brooke explained while smiling to Haley. "She said it's been Pacey all along."

Nathan then understood what Haley was saying and smirked.

"But it will be too late by then. Cause I'll have a hot and rich boyfriend who loves me to death and I'll be head over heels in love with him and we'll be overflowing happiness!!" Brooke said, clapping her hands like a little girl who got the best doll. "Let's try one more time. I've got a feeling that it will be right this time." She said happily and reached the radio. Little did she know she was right…

_I'll make it through the rainy days  
I'll be the one who stands here longer than the rest  
When my landscape changes, rearranges  
I'll be stronger than I've ever been  
No more stillness, more sunlight,  
Everything's gonna be alright_

_I know that there's gonna be a change  
Better find your way out of your fear  
If you wanna come with me  
Then that's the way it's gotta be  
I'm all alone and finally  
I'm getting stronger  
You'll come to see  
Just what I can be  
I'm getting stronger_

_Sometimes I feel so down and out  
Like emotion that's been captured in a maze  
I had my ups and downs  
Trials and tribulations,  
I overcome it day by day,  
Feeling good and almost powerful  
A new me, that's what I'm looking for_

_I didn't know what I had to do  
I just knew I was alone  
People around me  
But they didn't care  
So I searched into my soul  
I'm not the type of girl that will let them see her cry  
It's not my style  
I get by  
See I'm gonna do this for me_

x X x X x X x

* * *

This was it. I hope you like it, 'cause I liked writing it. This was a possible one-shot, but if you want me to continue, I'll work on it. The songs were My Happy Ending Avril Lavigne, Never Again Justin Timberlake and Stronger Sugababes. Please let me know what you liked or not. 


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, I want to thank you for the awesome reviews! I'm so happy that you liked my story. So here's the new chapter. I'm sorry for the possible grammar mistakes. Enjoy!

* * *

Brooke had just got out of English Lit. and she was so bored. Why did she take this class, again? Yep, that's right, Lucas. He knew she didn't like this stuff much and always made it fun for her. But now that they are separated, she herself had to deal with her own boredom. She had seen Lucas when she entered the class. He was dark, just like Peyton. His hair got fair yellow and looked dirty. In fact, _he _looked_ dirty. _But with his up-turned nose and his _new_ fair yellow hair, he looked like an over played Barbie doll. For the first time in a long time, Brooke thought he was gross.

Brooke walked into the ladies restroom. As she refreshed her lipstick, she thought about Peyton. She could swear that she saw Peyton looking at her, behind a corner, when she got out of the class. But, why would Peyton spy on her? _'Don't be such a drama queen._' she mentally told herself. She finished her work and got out of the restroom. Then she took out her ipod. Her ipod was the one thing she carried everywhere, along with her lipstick of course. It was like it became the very part of her. With Peyton still on her mind, she put on her earphones and shuffled songs. '_God must love messing with me._' she thought when she recognized the song. It was 'Thank you'.

_I thought that I could always count on you  
I thought that nothing could come between us to  
We said as long as we would stick together  
We'd be alright  
We'd be okay_

_But I was stupid and you broke me down  
I'll never be the same again  
_

_So thank you for showing me  
That best friends cannot be trusted  
And thank you for lying to me  
Your friendship the good times we had  
You can have them back  
_

_I wonder why it always has to hurt  
For every lesson that you have to learn  
I won't forget what you did to me  
How you showed me things  
I wished I'd never see_

_But I was stupid and you broke me down  
I'll never be the same again_

_So thank you for showing me  
That best friends cannot be trusted  
And thank you for lying to me  
Your friendship the good times we had  
You can have them back_

_When the tables turn again  
You'll never be my friend  
You'll be wishing I was there for you  
I'll be the one you miss the most  
But you'll only find my ghost  
As time goes by  
You'll wonder why  
You're all alone_

_So thank you for showing me  
That best friends cannot be trusted  
And thank you for lying to me  
Your friendship the good times we had  
You can have them back_

She loved this song, even though it was like salt to her open wound. She liked Simple Plan very much; each of their songs meant something special to her. She smiled sadly as the last musical notes of the song faded. Her mind slipped to Lucas. And then she remembered his dirty, over-faired yellow hair. '_Gross_!' she thought again. She stood still as the new song started to play. She rolled her eyes at the song. '_You got to be kidding me!_' she thought. But then, she started to sing along.

_My love is on the line_

_A little late for all the things you didn't say  
I'm not sad for you  
But I'm sad for all the time I had to waste  
'Cause I learned the truth  
Your heart is in a place I no longer wanna be  
I knew there'd come a day  
I'd set you free  
'Cause I'm sick and tired  
Of always being sick and tired_

_Your love isn't fair  
You live in a world where you didn't listen  
And you didn't care  
So I'm floating  
Floating on air_

_Oh... yeah..._

_No warning of such a sad song  
Of broken hearts  
My dreams of fairy tales and fantasy, oh  
Were torn apart  
I lost my peace of mind  
Somewhere along the way  
I knew there's come a time  
You'd hear me say  
I'm sick and tired  
Of always being sick and tired_

_My love is on the line_

When the song ended, Brooke was fed up. She put away her ipod and went out to the yard.

x X x X x X x

Haley was sitting under a tree in the yard, she had just got out of P.E. and she was really tired. Her husband may be a super basketball player, but that didn't mean she didn't hate sports. She just loved watching Nathan, his sweaty chest and his athletic arms…

"What are you thinking about Tutor-Girl?" Brooke's voice broke her thoughts. "Whatever that's on your mind, save it for Nathan, 'cause you're drooling!" she said, laughing.

Haley turned to her friend, annoyed. But once she saw her laughing, she started laughing too. It was great to see Brooke laughing again, Haley missed her smile. It had been a week since the day she found Brooke crying on her porch and Brooke was getting better each day. She was almost back to her bouncy and cheery self and Haley couldn't be happier about it. A happy Brooke would brighten you day, just like a morose Brooke would darken it. But Nathan's _little _comment seemed to leave an effect on Brooke, 'cause she really seemed to get over the betrayal of Lucas and Peyton.

"That wouldn't be a problem since I'm thinking about him…" Haley answered.

"Euw, Haley! I don't want to hear about your fantasies!" Brooke said, crinkling her nose.

"What?" said Haley, pretending like she didn't hear Brooke. "You know what, I need to go find Nathan." she said in a mock hurry.

"Stop it!" Brooke said while laughing. As she laughed, she didn't notice two people watching her.

x X x X x X x

Lucas looked at her girlfriend. She looked so beautiful. He wanted to tell her that, he wanted so badly to kiss her. But she wasn't aware of his actions so he tried to make an eye contact with her. Nevertheless he couldn't, 'cause her green eyes were focused on somewhere in the yard. He followed her gaze and he was surprised at what he found. Peyton was staring at Brooke! His eyes were narrowed and he looked at her suspiciously. Then he decided to distract her.

"What is there that is more interesting than me?" he asked sweetly.

Peyton jumped with Lucas' voice. Then she turned to him, smiling.

"Nothing." she said.

"Liar." Lucas said with the same sweet voice.

Peyton looked at him guiltily. "It's just…"

Lucas looked at her with expectation on his face.

"It's Brooke." she said.

"What's with her?" Lucas asked confused. "Did she say anything to you?" he added, getting defensive.

"No, it's nothing like that." Peyton replied. "But that's the problem." she continued with a new found will. "She _doesn't_ do _anything_. No cold glares, no harsh words, no avoiding, anything! It's like she doesn't care anymore." she finished, looking at Brooke again.

Lucas turned to look at Brooke too. She was laughing at something Haley said.

"Well, wasn't that what we wanted?" he asked, turning to Peyton.

Peyton shrugged. "Yea, I guess." She was still staring at Brooke. Lucas was right; all she wanted was Brooke to stop being a bitch. Now that Brooke didn't care, she should be happy, but why was she feeling like this? Like something's wrong or missing? After all, Lucas was hers, right?

Lucas looked at Brooke again. He saw her dimples. He used to love her dimples. Actually, he still did. Despite the distance between them, Lucas could tell Brooke was smiling. Her smile was genuine. He could see that. He could always tell if she was pretending or not. He knew her too well.

Peyton turned to Lucas to tell him to go, but she caught him staring at Brooke. There were those sparkles in his eyes, the ones that appeared every time he looked at Brooke. Peyton saw compassion and love in his eyes; he didn't even notice her looking at him. And maybe for the first time, Peyton understood how Brooke felt. _She was never going to be the one in Lucas' heart. _She got slightly angry because of her realization and hatchelled him.

"Come on, let's go."

Just when Lucas was about to turn around, he met Brooke's gorgeous hazel eyes. She quickly turned away, continued to talk to Haley. Lucas sadly tore his eyes from her and started to walk beside Peyton.

x X x X x X x

"I have to go now; I have to meet one of my tutees." Haley whined. "I don't want to go, I'm so tired…"

As she listened to Haley, Brooke felt a pair of eyes on her; she feared meeting Lucas' baby blue eyes so she closed her eyes. But she couldn't resist the urge that grew in inside her to look around and she turned only to see Lucas staring at her. Peyton was beside him, holding onto his arm. Brooke's heart ached. '_Hey!_' she warned herself. '_Nobody said it's going to be easy. Don't be so weak._' She turned to Haley again, proud of herself. She was determined to get over him this time; there was no way she would fail.

"Anyway, I got to go." Haley finished. She had sensed that something happened to Brooke, but she was smiling so Haley decided not to push it.

"See you later!" Brooke called out as Haley walked away from her towards the tutoring center.

This was Brooke's free period. She couldn't help but notice that this was also Lucas' free period, but she sharpishly pushed that thought out of her mind. She had a whole hour to herself. She didn't have anything special to do; she even had done her homework, which she never once did in her whole high school life. Rachel had said she looked hot with eye glasses (Her exact words were "_You can be every guy's teacher fantasy._"), but that was not the point. She decided to just listen to the music. She sat under the tree and took out her ipod again. She looked through her play list and stopped when she found the one she had been looking for. Then she pressed play. As the sound of The Horror filled her ears, she gave her back to the tree and closed her eyes. She loved this song, even though it had almost no lyrics. She was about to lose herself in the music completely when someone tapped on her shoulder. She paused the song and turned to the person who disturbed her.

"What?!" she said somewhat angrily.

"Can I sit here?" asked the boy who was looking directly into Brooke's eyes.

'_He's a little taller than Lucas._' Brooke thought. '_Damn!_' she cursed. Why did she have to compare every single guy she saw to Lucas? '_Stop it!_' she told herself.

"Sure!" she answered, still in the same angry tone. Then she went back to her comfortable position. But before she could play the song, the boy tapped on her shoulder again.

"What now?" she turned. She was getting annoyed by this kid.

"What are you listening to?" he asked casually.

"Do you mean what I'm _not_ listening?"

He shrugged calmly. Like he wasn't annoying the hell out of her.

"You're so annoying, you know that?" Brooke said harshly.

"And you are so cute." he replied swiftly.

Brooke couldn't say anything, that was fast – and _unexpected_. Instead of saying anything, she turned her back to him and pretended to listening to the music. A few seconds later, she felt that tap on her shoulder again. But this time she was kind of excited about it. When she turned back, she came face to face with him; she hadn't realized that he was sitting dangerously close to her. He was looking into her eyes without even blinking. And this time, Brooke studied his face. He was brunette, just like her. But he was tan and his hazel eyes were closer to green. His hair looked messy but not repulsive. She had to admit, he was attractive.

"Do you want to go out with me?" asked the boy confidently.

"I'm a lesbian." Brooke said easily, not even flinching for a second.

"Oh yeah?" dared the boy, his voice was proving that he didn't believe.

"Yeah." said Brooke dwellerly. She wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

Their eyes connected, then all of a sudden, the boy leaned in and kissed Brooke passionately. But before Brooke could even respond, he broke the kiss and actively stood up.

"I've been watching you, Brooke Davis." he said. "And now with that Barbie Boy out of picture, you're all mine." he winked and walked away.

Brooke was too shocked to even move. '_What the hell just happened?!_' she thought. She didn't remember seeing him before. But he was a good kisser. Who was she kidding, she was an awesome kisser! But that didn't change the fact he was so annoying. He _was_ annoying, right?

"What happened?" Rachel's voice broke in.

Brooke looked up to her. "What do you mean what happened?"

Rachel explained. "You're smiling like you just ate a big chocolate cake."

Brooke looked down ashamed. She did smile like that, didn't she?

"That smile just appears after a good sex or –well, a big chocolate cake. But I know you didn't have either, so tell me, what is it?" Rachel asked knowingly.

'_I hate when she is right!_' Brooke thought. '_That kiss was nothing. It meant nothing. But what did he mean when he said he had been watching me? Is he some kind of __psychopath?! That is so creepy! Whatever, I can't deal with him, I don't need another jerk._'

"Nothing." Brooke said to Rachel. "Really."

"Whatever you say." said Rachel, not buying it for a second.

x X x X x X x

Tutoring center's doors shut open.

"I'm sorry Haley, I didn't realize the time…" said a messy haired brunette boy.

Haley looked up to him.

"It's okay this time, but don't be late again, am I making myself clear?"

The boy nodded as he sat across Haley. There was this huge smile on his face that he couldn't wipe off.

* * *

I hope you all liked this too! The songs are Thank You by Simple Plan, Sick&Tired by Anastacia and The Horror by RJD2. Don't forget to leave a review!! 


	3. Chapter 3

hard to believe, but yes, I updated. lol. its been a pretty messed up year for me, but summer is coming up, so im hoping to update more, (more frequent then once a year at least lol). again, im sorry for the possible grammar mistakes. and i forgot to mention that naley baby, sweet jamie wont be in this story. at least for now. i want this to be a brookie cookie story. and the guy is not chase. at first I thought of him but as i write this chapter, it turned out to be michael in other show (wentworth miller). i dont know if im allowed to mention the name but you all know what im talking about. and the guy's name is picked from my favorite shows, you'll know when you see. and i want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter, especially paranoidbychoice and brokenhearted4ever for reviewing after such long time. okay enough with my rambling. hope it makes up for the long wait, enjoy and review please!!

* * *

"This is it for today girls! You were great! Don't be late on thursday!" said Brooke as she finished the cheerleading practise. Haley sat at the nearest bench and Brooke collapsed next to her. She was tired, not physically, but mentally. Cheerleading used to be her thing, but now it just meant watching Peyton and Lucas all over each other. It was pure torture.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Haley.

"Nothing, actually." Brooke answered as she turned to Haley with a smile.

"Does this _nothing_ have anything to do with Lucas staring at us?" Haley said, looking sceptic.

"What?!" Brooke's eyes went wide. "No, he's probably looking for that back stabbing, sneaky, lying, hypocrite…"

"Brooke…"

"Okay okay, I'm calm, I'm getting better I swear. He's probably looking for Peyton."

"Yeah, right." Haley said unbelievingly. He _really_ was staring at them in her opinion. But, if Brooke didn't want to think so, whatever. She decided to change the topic. "What about that messy haired, hazel but closer to green eyed, tall, mysterious guy?" she said, with a slight grin, cause for someone who's been furious, Brooke had paid a lot of attention to him and given Haley a detailed image of the guy. But, on the other hand, she was Brooke, she always paid attention to everyone.

"Are you mocking me?" Brooke said with a devilish sparkle in her eyes.

"I wouldn't dare." Haley said playfully which earned her a slap on the arm from Brooke. "Oww! Your hands are not as gentle as you think!"

"I don't think they are, but that's what you get for making fun of me." Brooke said half joking half serious.

"_Anyway, _to answer your question, I don't know, haven't seen him since. It's been 3 days."

"So you've been counting?" Haley teased. Brooke shot her a warning look. "Okay okay, but how come? I mean, after all that, I thought he'd be around." Haley looked at Brooke expectantly. Brooke didn't say anything. "Don't you even wonder who he is?!"

"No."

"Not even his name?"

"…."

"Brooke!!"

"I kinda know who he is, okay! Stop going all freaky on me!"

Haley stopped for a minute. "That's big news! Why don't I know anything about that?"

"I didn't get a chance to tell you."

"….."

"….."

"How about now, Brooke?" Haley said, getting annoyed with Brooke's calmness. "Don't you want me to know or something?"

Brooke looked up, surprised. "Of course not. I just don't think it's a big deal."

"Well, I think so spill."

"Okay…."

* * *

The boys were in the locker room. After a long hard practise, all they wanted was to get out of there as soon as possible. Nathan was beside his locker, getting ready. He didn't want to keep Haley waiting. He saw Lucas coming towards him.

"Hey Nathan."

"Hey." said Nathan, without even looking at Lucas.

"Whitey was killing us out there!" Lucas said trying to small talk.

"That wasn't so unusual for me, you know." Ever since Brooke showed up on their porch, he's been distant to both Peyton and Lucas. Peyton didn't seem to realize it, she was too busy with her own problems, but Lucas was trying. Nathan could see that he was suffering. Not like Brooke, but still.

"Yea, sorry." Lucas kept quiet for a minute. "Can I ask you something?" he blurted out. Nathan was with Brooke whenever he saw them, so he would of known.

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Is Brooke seeing anyone?"

Nathan sighed. He closed his locker and turned to Lucas. "You should just leave her alone, Luke."

"Nathan.." Lucas tried to argue.

"No, Lucas." Nathan cut in. "Don't mess with her mind. She's been through enough already, don't you think you've done enough?" Nathan and Brooke had a special bond, not like Haley and Lucas maybe, but they were friends even before Peyton was in the picture, before all this drama. She was like his sister and he felt the need to defend her. "You chose to be with Peyton, why are you asking for Brooke? Choices have consiquences…" he said as if talking to a 5 year old "… you remember that, right?"

Nathan didn't mean to go over him like that, but Haley's forwardness must have robbed off him. Lucas looked like he was about to cry, his jaw twitching. But it could've been cause of anger, Nathan couldn't decide.

"Sorry man I didn't mean…"

"I'm just concerned about her. I saw her kissing a guy and I just thought…."

"You don't need to concern about her. She's a tough one, you know that. She can handle it."

Lucas winced when Nathan said that. Of course he knew Brooke didn't his help, he had to learn first hand. But it still sucked.

"I love Peyton, you know." Nathan heard Lucas.

"Yea." He said looking anywhere but him. "Look man I gotta go now, but we could talk later?" This was Nathan's conscience talking. He wasn't sure but he thought Lucas' voice cracked. He saw Lucas give him a slight nod with evident dissappointment in his eyes. He hated Lucas' eyes sometimes, they could be so damn soulful when he wanted them to. He left the locker room quickly, he saw Peyton standing nearby and he fastened. Haley and Brooke were sitting at the bench, he went over them and sat between them, smirking.

"Ouch, Nathan! It's my leg you're sitting on!!" Haley punched him.

"Well, you get to sit on my lap all the time, I just wanted to know how it feels!" he answered with a grin. After kissing her, girls slided aside and he was seated.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Actually, yeah. Brooke was about to tell me who her new boyfriend is!" Haley said excitedly.

"Brooke's got a new boyfirend?" Nathan asked surprised.

"NO! I mean, he's not my boyfriend!" Brooke said.

"But he came and kissed you." Haley teased.

"Some guy kissed you?!" Nathan cut in.

"HALEY!!" Brooke cried frustated.

"Come on Brooke! It's not like you wouldn't tell me, right?" Nathan said giving Brooke his puppy eyes.

"Well, I guess you're right. You could get your puppy eyes away from me now."

"So who is it?" Nathan asked to Haley.

"I don't know, she was just about to tell me before you came!"

Brooke started to laugh hysterically.

"What is so funny?"

"I guess we missed something."

The married couple looked each other, confused. After calming down Brooke spoke.

"Nathan, I think you spent way too much time with us, I mean, look at you!"

"What is wrong with me?" asked Nathan getting defensive.

"You're gossiping like a girl! And now you got all offended because of what I've said!" At this point Haley started to laugh too.

"You really are breaking my heart." he said trying to act serious, putting his hand over his heart. The girls started to laugh harder and soon Nathan joined them too. After a while, their laughter died down and all heads turned to Brooke.

"So, who he is?"

* * *

Peyton saw Nathan leave the locker room. Lucas still didn't get out. She was wondering what took him so long. She had been waiting for twenty minutes now, everyone had left but him. She decided she could sneak a peek. Plus she had seen him looking at Brooke and couldn't wait to learn what was that about.

She slowly opened the door. Lucas didn't hear her coming.

"Hey."

"Hey Blondie." Lucas turned to her with a charming smile.

"What were you doing here all this time? I kinda started to think you ran out of the window." she said, half joking, half serious.

"Oh, I was just trying to look my best for you." he said, taking her in his arms.

"Nice try." she said after kissing him.

"It worked, didn't it?" Lucas asked, smirking between kisses.

Peyton nodded without breaking their kiss. Things were getting pretty heated up when Peyton climbed onto Lucas, but he suddenly pulled apart.

"What? What's wrong?" Peyton asked, breathing heavily.

"Nothing! I just don't want to do it here." Lucas laughed nervously. The truth was that he did it here once with Brooke. It didn't feel right thinking about Brooke while kissing Peyton. But he couldn't tell her that now, could he?

"Then let's just go somewhere else, ok? I really got in the mood you know." she said with a grin before kissing him again.

Lucas opened his eyes in panic. He couldn't see much because of Peyton's curls, but he couldn't keep his eyes closed either. This situation was pretty awkward. Peyton, the girl he claimed he loved, was kissing him eagerly, but he just couldn't focus. Images of Brooke and him in this place kept running in his head, _how he pressed her against the wall, the way she bit his bottom lip… _

Peyton felt like she was kissing a wall. Sure he was responding, but not like the way he always did. Something was off. She pulled apart, annoyed. Her irritation was written all over her face.

"Sorry." Lucas said. "Like I said, I'm not comfortable here. It smells like sh!t and wherever I look, I see my sweaty mates… It's not exactly a turn on." He laughed.

'_Bullshit!_' Peyton thought. She couldn't believe how easily he lied to her. She knew Brooke and Lucas had sex here. Indeed, she was the one who walked in on them. She couldn't get how Lucas didn't remember that. For a moment, she felt sick.

"Whatever. I have some stuff to do, so I can't give you a ride but I'm sure you could use a walk." she said coldly. She stormed out, leaving him standing there. She was so lost in her anger that she didn't even see him sigh or hear him call out for her.

* * *

"Michael Kaan Evans."

"What?"

"His name. Michael Evans."

"No, I got that, but, what?" Haley said confused.

"Hey I know him!" Nathan said happily. "Mike Evans, right?"

"How do you know him?" asked Brooke curious.

"I know him too!" Haley added.

"You too?!"

"Yeah!"

"Am I the only one who doesn't know him?!" Brooke said defeated. Nathan and Haley looked at her with apologetic faces.

"Okay, so how do you know him?"

"He's one of my tutees. He just started last week."

"And he is also the captain of the soccer team. He's a pretty cool guy actually."

"Wait, do we have a soccer team?"

"How come we never heard of him?"

"Yes we have a soccer team but our lovely town doesn't care about soccer as they care about basketball. People just pretend other sports don't exist."

"So, is he any good?"

"Why's the sudden interest Brooke?" Haley teased.

"What?! I'm just checking."

"Well, I don't know about soccer at all, but even I could say he's good."

"He's good, hmm…"

"You liked that, huh Brooke?"

"Shut up Nathan!" Brooke said playfully.

"Hate to ruin it for you guys, but we are the only ones left here."

"Haley's right, we should get going."

They all got up and the girls gathered their stuff together.

"So that was what Lucas meant!" Nathan said finally figuring it out.

Hearing Lucas' name, Brooke stood alert. "What did he mean?"

Nathan turned to her like he just pulled out the the bomb's pin. He saw Haley giving him the you-had-to-say-that-didnt-you look. He thought for a minute before answering. "He said something about seeing you and a guy kissing…" he said slowly. "And he might've asked if you're seeing anyone." he blurted.

"WHAT?!" Haley and Brooke said in union.

"And you're telling me this, like, NOW?" Brooke said excitedly.

"Brooke, I dont think you…" Haley started but Brooke cut in.

"That's great!! No, TutorGirl, I know it doesn't mean anything, it would be a lie if I said it didn't help. Well, thank you, Nathan. See you later guys." Brooke said as she hugged them.

"You dont want to come over and watch a movie?"

"Thanks Tutorwife, but I think I'll pass. I have some things to do, plus I'm starting to feel like your kid! I guess we all can use some time on our own."

"Okay, but the offer stands, drop by anytime."

"You know I will. Later Scotts!" with that she walked away.

"I made her day, like twice in a week?" Nathan said smirking.

"That you did, Nate. She was so happy that she called me Tutorwife again. I never thought I would be happy to hear that." she said laughing.

"So how about you make me happy now?"

"Well, that depends. What's on your mind?" Haley teased.

"Hmm, I dont know, I can give you some ideas for starters, but the rest you have to come up yourself." He started to kiss her neck slowly. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and she met his lips eagerly. Suddenly, Nathan pulled away. Haley groaned.

"See? I told you I would give you something for starters."

"Yea, now I have some pretty good stuff in my mind."

"Is that true?" Nathan teased.

"You want me to show you?" Haley said, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck again. "First, I'd start with this…" she started to kiss his cheek, then his jaw, then she moved to his earlobe. She bit it gently. "You liked that?" she asked huskily.

"I think we need to get home. NOW." He answered, then easily lifted Haley and hurriedly took off with Haley's laughs hanging in the air.

* * *

Brooke was about to leave the school when she realised her sunglasses were missing. She thought about where they could be and…

"Crap! I forgot them at my locker!"

She got out of the car, started to walk through the corridors quickly. She was closing her locker when she heard that annoying but familiar voice.

"Someone's in a hurry?"

She stopped dead and turned on her heels.

"Well, well…. Look who we have here… Michael Kaan Evans." she smirked knowingly as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I see that you checked up on me. You even got my full name. I'm flattered." he answered as he got closer.

"I have my sources." she said without moving. There were sparkles in her eyes and she was showing her dimples.

"Well, you can call me Mike." he said. He was in front of her now.

"Yeah?" she said seductively.

"Yeah." he answered huskily, never taking his eyes off of hers.

SLAP

"That was for kissing me!" she yelled. "What did you think, huh? Coming with all that _I've been watching you_ bull and kissing me all of a sudden?! What?! Did you think it was so romantic and I would throw myself at you?!..."

He stood all calm, but when she said that, he kind of lost it. Okay, maybe he deserved that slap, he knew it wasn't the best way to start, kissing her and all, but he had to make himself known to her. He just couldn't stand another day go without her knowing that he even existed.

"…Are you like an obsessed perv or something?! Hey! I'm talking to you!!"

He couldn't believe she could yell this much. He could tell he was annoying her again. He grabbed her wrists and moved his face closer to hers. There were just inches between them and he was looking at her in the eye without blinking.

Adrenaline was rushing through Brooke's body, but she wasn't sure if it was because of fear or excitement of being this close. Maybe it was both. But they were so close that their breaths were blending.

"Let's get somethings clear." he said calmly. "But first, you have to stop yelling at me." he never broke the eye contact. Brooke couldn't say anything, she just nodded. He loosened his grip and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he said genuinely.

"Too damn bad that you did!" Brooke said under her breath. She was trying to walk away, but he kept getting in her way.

"Would you stop?!" he said.

"Is this your way of impressing me?! Cause let me tell you, it's not working you moron!" But she stopped anyway.

"Okay, I'm not some kind of perv like you think."

They were standing face to face again. Michael was a little taller than Lucas, but much more built. Even if she didn't want to notice, Brooke still could see his hard chest. Neither was taking their guard off, so they stood like that for a few moments, just staring at each other's eyes, without flinching.

Brooke was exhausted, something in her stomach couldn't stop moving. She couldn't take it anymore and broke their somewhat trance off.

"This is ridiculous!" she said frustrated. Just when she turned back to leave, he turned her and crashed his lips to hers. Brooke tried to pull apart and resisted at first, but eventually she gave in. It was a great feeling kissing him. Her hands found their way to his neck without her knowing and she felt him grabbing her waist. Boy, was he strong! When they _really_ _really_ needed to breathe, they pulled apart, but only their faces. Their noses were almost touching, he looked deeply into her eyes. Then he smirked as he asked.

"Was that ridiculous too?"

* * *

Hope you all liked it. Tell me what you think!

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

_Italics to point out what they're thinking. This chapter gives a lot of insight to characters._

_xoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

"_This is ridiculous!" she said frustrated. Just when she turned back to leave, he turned her and crashed his lips to hers. Brooke tried to pull apart and resisted at first, but eventually she gave in. It was a great feeling kissing him. Her hands found their way to his neck without her knowing and she felt him grabbing her waist. Boy, was he strong! When they __really__really__ needed to breathe, they pulled apart, but only their faces. Their noses were almost touching, he looked deeply into her eyes. Then he smirked as he asked._

"_Was that ridiculous too?"_

x X x X x

Instead of answering him, she just pulled his face back to hers and carried on kissing him. Okay, maybe she was enjoying it, but so what. She had to have some pleasures in her life and maybe he could be her guilty pleasure. It was obvious that they had chemistry, their bodies reacted to each other all the time and it would be such a shame to ignore the sparks. She felt a weird closeness to him, a tiny voice kept saying she could trust him. But she wasn't that naive, she recognised all the signs, but she learned better than to trust her guts about this… _urge. _Last time she went along with it, she ended up hurting, lost her best friend and boyfriend _twice. _That was what she couldn't get over, having it happened twice. She couldn't get why they didn't get together when they screwed her over the first time. These thoughts were keeping her mind busy, she didn't even notice that the kiss had stopped.

He felt the passion slip away slowly, he wasn't stupid. So he pulled his lips away from her, saw her struggling with emotions. It was scary for him to understand her this well, this was only the second time they talked after all. But for whatever reason he did understand her and was sure she felt the same weird feeling of being connected too. When he saw her all alone in front of her locker, he just felt sillily happy. She had been with that Scott family, they were around her 24/7, he couldn't get a chance to speak to her and even if he did, he couldn't say what he wanted with their eyes on them. He heard Brooke call them Naley, he didn't exactly know what that meant, but he knew she had an obsession with nicknames so he didn't question it much.

Brooke finally looked at him with reddened cheeks, she was embarrassed that she was so lost in her thoughts to not notice him pulling away, and oddly enough she was embarrassed that she had been so bold with her previous actions. She wasn't like that before Lucas, he made him turn into Haley, a shy girl, and yet still she was thinking about him, _again._ Damn it!

"You can stop cursing now you know." He said smiling.

"Did I say that aloud?" she asked, getting embarrassed even more.

"No, but I thought you were." He said sweetly.

She searched his eyes and found nothing but sincerity. She was so close to giving into him. She didn't care that they met only 3 days ago, she didn't care she didn't know anything about him besides his name and his obvious talent about kissing, and she certainly didn't care about the dangers of being vulnerable again, not right now. Right now she felt at the top of the world, like they had been lovers for eternity, like she could trust him with her eyes closed with everything. But the moment passed just as fast as it came and she faced the reality. She was keeping him in the dark, not saying anything and she was utterly grateful that he wasn't pushing her to talk. Stealing a quick glance at him, she got the convincing feeling that he understood. In his eyes, she saw that, maybe he really knew she was cursing inside, maybe he really knew her and maybe she could trust him. These mixed feelings were starting to get her head dizzy, suddenly she felt tired.

"I…" she started.

"I know it's confusing" he interrupted. "and I know it's weird, but I also know you feel it too. I can see it in your eyes. But I'm not going to push you into anything, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. All I want is that you don't let us miss this chance."

She didn't need to ask what that chance was, they both knew what he was talking about. And it was quite scary and creepy at the same time that he understood her that well, it was like he had some telepathic powers over her. But at that single moment, she was thankful for it.

"Okay." She said giving him a small smile. "And thank you."

"Whenever you want, babe. Oh, sorry." He said realising his slip. A slight blush came across his face.

Brooke narrowed her eyes. "Is that?... Oh my God, are you blushing Evans?" she asked teasingly.

"Laugh it up, Davis." They joked casually, like they just didn't have a heart to heart. Like they did it all the time.

"We're gonna have to talk, you know that right? To figure out what we're going to…"

"Yes, I do, but can we please not do that right now? I'm kind of enjoying the moment." She said smiling. The tension in the air was gone, they were just joking around and Brooke was serious when she said she enjoyed it. Then they heard someone.

Xoxoxoxoxo

Peyton was fuming. Did Lucas really was that clueless? And she still couldn't believe he lied to her, without even flinching. They were in love. At least she thought they were. But seeing how little it took for him to lie to her, she was now doubting everything he said. What other lies he fed her? Didn't he think she would notice it? Didn't he know she would obsess about it for weeks if she caught on it? More important, didn't he care?

With these thoughts on her mind, she slammed gym's doors and came face to face with Brooke's laugh. Just when she had a fight with Lucas, she was reminded how happy Brooke was. _Just perfect_, she thought. "Are you kidding me?!" she murmured looking up. She stormed off to her car, frowning more than ever. She seriously needed to draw.

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

_Just perfect, _Lucas thoughtlooking where Peyton stood barely a minute ago. He sighed. Peyton storming out meant a couple of days with silent treatment and him having to apologise and make up. And there even wasn't a make up sex. He chuckled. Brooke must have really rubbed off him, for him to think something like this. He didn't care about his fight with Peyton now, he knew they were going to make up. They always did. She would freak out on the simplest thing leaving him to pick up the pieces. It was always him that had to apologise. Even when he hadn't done anything. He remembered how he blamed Nathan at first, for making Peyton miserable all the time. But he now understood what was behind the curtains. In fact, he thought Nathan put up with her well enough. And there he was, thinking it would be so much easier with Peyton. Having your soulmate as your girlfriend should have solved all your problems, right? Cause you knew, no you _understood_ each other better than anyone, right? Well, apparently not. Their first week together was heaven, all they did was cuddle, make out and do all those things that cheesy couples you only see in the movies do. But the _honeymoon_ part of their relationship has long passed and they were already having problems. Well at least with Brooke they talked through them. But with Peyton, it only meant him having to suffer just to get her to talk to him. _Damn it! _He was always comparing them, and lately it seemed that what he had with Brooke was _better. Damn it! _He kept thinking. He really shouldn't be thinking about Brooke, since she was the one who broke up and left him without as much of a reason. She only told him that she didn't miss him anymore. How fucked up was that?! He needed her like the air, maybe he didn't always show it but, that didn't mean it wasn't true. He didn't know he needed to tell her that, he just thought she _knew_. She always did, that was one of the things he loved about her. The fact she never had been _clingy_. Sure they had spent almost every single moment together, but that wasn't because _she_ wanted it. He wanted it just as much too, maybe even more. When she was breaking up with him, she had accused him of never letting her all the way in, he remembered. Just thinking about their fight, remembering her face crying was a punch to his stomach, he still felt like puking when he thought of their _official _break-up. How could she… How could she think he didn't let her in, when he was so full of her? He did more than letting her in, he made her become a part of him. Maybe that was why he felt somewhat empty now, whatever he did. When playing basketball, reading his favorite books, or even when having _cookie fights _with Peyton, no matter what he did, he always felt the absence of something. Yet he couldn't put his finger on it, actually he never wanted to think about it, he was afraid of what he might have found in the end. Until now. He waited for a few minutes to give Peyton enough time to go, then he quickly left. He now knew what his next chapter was going to be about.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Well well… Aren't you cute?"

Brooke was startled at the voice. She felt Michael's arms tighten around her waist and only then she realised they were still hugging. She quickly jumped out of his grip and Michael turned to the owner of the voice with an are-you-happy-now look on his face.

"Rachel!... I didn't know you were still here!" Brooke said, surprised.

"Well, I got busy…" she shrugged, behind her a hot guy sneaked out of the class she just appeared from.

"I can see that." Brooke said with a knowing tone, while Michael rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe _this_ had ruined their moment.

"And I can see you've been busy too…" Rachel said smirking, pointing to Michael with her head.

"Shut up Rachel…" said Michael, slightly annoyed.

"Wait, do you know each other?" asked Brooke curious.

"You can say that I guess." Rachel shrugged again.

"Come on Rachel…" Michael said, this time smirking, "Don't disdain our _history_ like that."

"What history?" Brooke said timidly, she was praying to God what she suspected didn't happen.

Rachel was shooting daggers at him, but he happily continued. "I believe I'm the only guy that you didn't sleep with in the soccer team, is that right Rachel? How they say… The only one who _turned you down_? And there was this one time- "

"Okay okay we get it…" Rachel cut in irritated. Brooke was looking at her, her mouth open, and you could tell she was about to burst out. When she saw Rachel roll her eyes, she gathered herself together and linked her arms with her. "Come on, let's go." She said.

Rachel turned to Michael and smiled victoriously. "Ha!"

Brooke then looked at Michael somewhat shyly, they were having a good time before Rachel came. She stood right in front of him. "So… I'll see you around?" she asked, more confidently and a little hopefully.

"You definitely will." He answered huskily.

"You know she's dragging me away just to tell what happened between you in detail, right? And she's gonna ask for my opinion too." Rachel said with a brazen grin on her face. Both turned to her.

"Well then you'll just have to tell her how I refused your _offers_ repeatedly, _in detail_, huh?" Michael replied, grinning as well.

"You can even get your own sit-com if you keep going like this, you know?" Brooke jumped in before Rachel could say anything. "Anyway… We're leaving, so… Bye." She said weakly to Michael. He immediately turned to her, serious. "See you later." He said huskily again. _Why was his voice coming out like that talking to her_?

_This was awkward_, Brooke thought. Rachel couldn't stand the angst anymore, so she linked arms with Brooke, started walking, practically pulling her. While leaving with Rachel, Brooke couldn't help but sneak a peek over her shoulder. And she saw him right where he was standing, looking back at her.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox

When they were in Brooke's car, Rachel looked bored out of her mind.

"I recall you telling me about a guy, who refused you, you told me he was gay, was he Michael?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Couldn't even wait to get home now, did you?" Rachel said annoyed. "What's with these guys refusing me and adoring you all the time, anyway? First Lucas and now Michael?" she started to grouch. "What do you do, put a spell on them or something?"

Brooke chuckled. "Yea, you know that's what I do."

"Whatever." She turned to Brooke serious. "You two looked pretty cosy back there. Anything I should know? And by the way, I'm so glad you passed that mourning after Lucas stage." Brooke flinched hearing his name. "Well, I guess you didn't." Rachel said puzzled. "Mike is a great guy Brooke." When Brooke didn't say anything, she changed the subject. "How did you meet anyway? I didn't know you knew him." She finished sceptically.

"That's because I didn't." Brooke said. "Actually that's only the second time we've met…" and she told Rachel their little (and fairly short) story.

"Wait… I remember that day. You were smiling like an idiotic 7th grader who got their first kiss!"

"Thanks a lot for the metaphore, Rachel." She said sarcasticly. "And I wasn't." She added stubbornly.

Rachel turned to her with a yea-right look, smirking.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Lucas opened his laptop and checked if Peyton's webcam was connected. It was, which was surprising, cause after they got together, and seeing how it screwed them up the first time, Peyton had swore off using the damn thing ever again. But, at this exact moment, she hated everything related to Lucas and did the opposite of every single thing he said, probably just to piss him off. He sighed. She was drawing furiously, Lucas couldn't see exactly what it was about, but it wasn't something happy, for sure. His mind wandered to Brooke, he wondered what she was doing. Sometimes he wished she had this webcam thing going on. Then he would just check her out whenever he liked. But Brooke was never a fan of it, she used to tease Peyton for exposing herself like that_, _even did something crazy for the _web-pervs_ from time to time. But she never even considered getting one herself. Cause, unlike Peyton, Brooke was a real-life person, something siber wouldn't be enough, she had to mingle with people. On the other hand, Peyton could live in her room for how long she fancied. It wouldn't bother her to be away from the world, cause in her mind, the world had already lost her.

He got up from his bed, pulled his hoodie over his head. It has been a while since he last wore this. But he knew why. For some strange reason, Brooke adored it. She never really told him why, and Lucas realised she did a lot of things without telling him why, like loving this piece of clothing, or stopping missing him, or wanting to break up with him. He shook his head, wanting to clear his mind of these thoughts. The reason for her actions wouldn't matter now, cause they were over, and he was with Peyton and he loved her. Her blonde curls, her icy green eyes, and… and what? For a moment he couldn't find anything to describe her. Her hair, her eyes and?... Didn't she have anything else? He blanked out. And weird as it is, the features of Brooke were flooding in his mind, he had a lot to say about her, so much so he felt like he could write a book just about her. He couldn't miss that, so he took his laptop into his lap and started typing enthusiasticly.

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

"Hey bitch, you going to the party tonight?"

"I haven't decided yet Rach-hoe, I kind of don't feel like it." Brooke shrugged.

"Oh please, what are you going to do? Crawl under a blanket with coffee in your hand and read? This is friday night Brooke, you can't stay at home."

Brooke still looked unsure.

"Okay, enough with the moping. We're going out tonight and _you,_ my friend, are going to have fun. Do you remember what that is Brooke? Fun? Ring a bell?"

"Don't be so dramatic Rachel, it doesn't suit you." Brooke said, slightly annoyed that Rachel bugged her.

"What's with the attitude? Is it because you haven't seen your _Prince Charming_ for _two whole days_?" Rachel mocked smirking. Whining Brooke was cool, but this quiet one didn't really work.

Brooke just rolled her eyes, she didn't know why she was so cheerless, so she didn't have anything to say to Rachel. But she had a point, whether Brooke wanted to admit or not, it has been two days since she last saw Michael, two days since they decided to make something of their _thing_. But, he had disappeared without a word, he didn't come to school, yes she looked for him. She didn't have his number, which didn't really matter, cause even if she had, it wasn't like she would call him. She was way too prideful for that. And just for her luck, that two said days, she kept bumping into Pucas. Peyton started to give her cold glares, which she couldn't quite understand why, and Lucas' stares were, well, like always. So soulful. Of course she didn't know, since she tried not to look at either of them. She was moving on, yes she was. With or without Michael. _Damn it_! What was it with Brooke and her tendency to have someone beside her all the time? As a child it was Peyton, then came Lucas, Haley, and now Michael? _Get a grip Brooke_, she scolded herself. She suddenly decided a night of fun was exactly what she needed.

"Wait up Rach!" she called and Rachel smirked to herself.

x X x X x


End file.
